Chewbacca was a wise, sophisticated being of great strength and loyalty. He was also a skilled mechanic. Chewbacca, like many Wookiees, was able to understand Basic, but he could not speak it due to his species's vocal structure. He instead spoke Shyriiwook, the main Wookiee language, composed largely of growls and grunts, to his non-Wookiee companions who typically replied in Basic.